Wheel



(No Model.)

B. F. RITTENHOUSE. WHEEL.

Patented Mar. 23, 1,897.

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SPECIFICATION fermiag part of Letters Patent No. 579,180, dated March 23, 1897. Application filed May 19,1896. Serial No. 592,107. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may conceive:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. RrrrEN- HOUSE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norristown, inthe county of Montgomery, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Wheels, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the construction of wheels, and particularly to the securing of metal rims to the wheel-fellies, the object of my invention being to provide an efficient, simple, and inexpensive locking device for holding the rim in place.

The nature of my improvements will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings, in which they are illustrated, and in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a wheel constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view, partly in `section, of a portion of the wheel-felly-rim-fastening device. Fig. 3 is a side View, partly in section, of the wheel-rim adapted for use with my invention. Fig. 4t is a cross-section through the felly and rim, taken, for instance, as on the section-line l l of Fig. l; and Figs. 5 and 6 are cross-sections showing modified forms of rims.

A and A indicate sections of the wheelfelly,the construction illustrated showing the felly made up of semicircular sections divided by saw-cuts at a a, B B indicating fellyplates which are frequently placed at the junction of the felly-sections.

A2indicates a circumferential groove formed in the face of the felly and preferably of semicircular cross section, and A3 A3 indicate transverse socket-holes extending inward through the wood of the felly and registering with the circumferential groove A2.

C indicates the metal rim of the wheel, which is formed with an internal circumferential groove C2, corresponding in position with the groove A2 of the felly and preferably of semicircular cross-section.

As shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4, the rim C is a plain ordinary wheel-rim, but my invention is obviously applicable also to other forms of rims, for instance rims having flanges, as indicated at c c in Figs. 5 and 6, said liianges serving as supports for rubber tires, as indicated at E and E.

D and D indicate metal rods which are adapted to lie in the circumferential fellygrooves A2 and also to project beyond the face of the felly into the circumferential rimgrooves C2. These rods are preferably of circular section, adapted to lit in the circular grooves, and should of course iit neatly in the grooves, as the function of the rod D is to lock the fell y and rim together. Preferably I form the rods D D with inwardly-projecting ends D2, adapted to fit in the anchor-holes A3, and in all cases I make the length of the rods D or D equal to at least one-fifth of the circumference of the felly, so that the form of `the rod lying in the groove will be that of .a considerable arc of a circle. The rods D should be held taut in the grooves of the felly and are preferably brought to the proper tight- -ness by shrinking them into the grooves, that is to say, the rod is heated, so that its proj ecting ends can be readily inserted in the ancher-holes, and then allowed to contract,which of course results in causing them to hug tightly the bottom of the groove.

Vhile I prefer to use at least two rods, such as D and D', in connection with ordinary fellies made up of two parts, such as A A', and cause the rods D caught in this way to be secured to each separable part of the felly, it will be obvious that my prime object of having the locking-rod D tightly secured in the felly-groove can be attained by using a rod the ends of which are welded or otherwise fastened together. The rod is in this way anchored to itself and can be shrunk in place on the grooved felly and made to tightly grip the groove, as in the case of the construction shown with anchored ends.

I have at D3 in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings indicated in dotted lines the union of the two rodsections D and D.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In combination with a wheel-felly having a circumferential groove in its outer periphery, one or more metal rods shrunk into said IOC) ference of the felly, said rod or: rods being adapted to lie in the groove and to project beyond the face of the felly and having in. Wardly-V projecting ends as D2 adapted to enter l sockets A3 and thereby anchor'the rod or rods in the groove all substantiallyas specified and so as to provide an anchorage for an inter-K nally-grooved tire or rim.

3. In combination with a Wheel-felly having a circumferential groove in its periphery, one or more metal rods shrunk into said groove and projecting beyond the face of the felly,

and an internally-grooved Wheel-rim embracing the felly, the groove in which receives the rod or rods and locks the rim to the felly.

4E. In combination With a circumferentiallygrooved Wheel-felly having transverse sockets as As extending in from the bottom of the groove, `a metal rod or rods as D thelength of which is not less than one-fifth of the circumference of the felly adapted to lie in the groove as described and having inwardly-projectin g ends D2 adapted to enter sockets A3 and thereby anchor the rod or rods inthe grooves and an internally-grooved Wheel-rim adapted to embrace Mthe felly and interlock With the rod -or rods as specied.

BENJAMIN F. RITTENHOUSE.

Vitnesses:

CHARLES F. ZIEGLER, D. STEWART. 

